A puff of smoke burst outward.
Akira appeared exactly where the shuriken had been flying.
He instinctively ducked.
Thud!
Another shuriken whistled past his back and embedded itself in the wall.
His chakra dropped by nearly a third.
"So Substitution really has turned into Flying Thunder God Lite," Akira muttered, rubbing his chin.
"But the chakra cost is brutal."
Before a class change, chakra only increased by ten points per level.
He glanced at his remaining experience.
Two thousand points left.
He spent 1200 EXP upgrading Gentle Fist to Lv.5.
Gentle Fist Lv.3 → Lv.4: 400 EXP
Gentle Fist Lv.4 → Lv.5: 800 EXP
A massive surge of knowledge flooded his mind.
Not just techniques—
But understanding.
Eight Trigrams Thirty-Two Palms.
Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms.
More importantly—
The theory behind Gentle Fist itself.
"So Lv.5 already puts me on par with the main house?"
No inheritance.
No transmission.
He'd simply… learned it.
All of it was contained within Gentle Fist.
"Air Palm and Rotation are still separate skills."
Akira raised both hands, rotating them slightly.
Blue chakra swirled between his palms, stable and controlled.
When he lowered his hands, the light faded.
"Last one."
His gaze settled on Fire Release · Unknowing Fire.
This was the skill he truly valued.
Why fight up close if you could fight from range?
With 925 EXP remaining, he poured 100 EXP into it.
[Fire Release · Unknowing Fire (Lv.2) — 0 / 200]
Again.
[Fire Release · Unknowing Fire (Lv.3) — 0 / 400]
Again.
[Fire Release · Unknowing Fire (Lv.4) — 0 / 800]
Knowledge layered upon knowledge.
Not just usage—
But applications.
Derivative techniques.
Weapon enchantment.
Sustained output control.
These wouldn't form new skills—but would all exist under Unknowing Fire.
He had 125 EXP left.
Nowhere useful to spend it.
Akira clenched his fist.
Flames ignited around it—hot, bright—
Yet didn't burn him at all.
"0.5 chakra per second."
"If I keep this up, I've got about four minutes."
As his skill levels rose, his chakra became the real limitation.
But—
That wasn't a real problem.
As long as experience existed, he could grow endlessly.
No bottlenecks. No ceilings.
Tomorrow, he'd continue.
He was going to wring every last genin in Konoha dry.
For now—
Sleep.
Hokage's Office
A thin ring of smoke drifted upward.
Sarutobi Hiruzen sighed, looking at the disciple seated across from him.
"Tsunade…"
Tsunade crossed her arms, clearly irritated.
"Old man, spit it out. What do you want?"
Calling her in this late?
Given this old pervert's reputation, she was very suspicious.
Sarutobi felt a sting in his chest.
Was his reputation really that bad?
"Cough." He cleared his throat.
"That subordinate of yours—Hyūga Akira—you should rein him in."
Akira?
Tsunade's temples throbbed instantly.
"What did he do now?"
She already regretted accepting this mission.
She was supposed to babysit the Hyūga heir.
Instead, they dumped a walking disaster into her lap.
Worse—
Her brother's big brother.
Sarutobi sighed.
"He set up a fighting arena in the village today. Caused quite a stir."
Konoha wasn't Kumogakure.
They didn't encourage public brawling.
Akira's stunt wasn't exactly great for village image.
The Uchiha not intervening didn't help either.
Veins bulged on Tsunade's forehead.
"That little bastard."
Sarutobi continued calmly.
"We can't allow things like this to continue. If outsiders see Konoha as a den of violence—"
Even if it kind of was.
The 'peace-loving village' image still mattered.
"Got it," Tsunade snapped.
She was already imagining how to discipline Akira.
Sarutobi hesitated, then added carefully:
"He's fallen out with the Hyūga clan and doesn't have much money.
You could take him on more missions—let him earn properly."
Tsunade's eyes sharpened.
"Old man," she said slowly,
"what are you planning?"
She smelled a scheme.
Sarutobi waved his hand.
"Nothing special. He's your subordinate—help him a bit."
"The hospital can handle the wounded for now."
It wasn't as if Konoha Hospital was incompetent.
Medical ninjutsu might've been Tsunade's creation—
But others had learned it too.
Tsunade stared at him for a long moment.
Then turned and left without another word.
Sarutobi exhaled smoke, his gaze deepening.
"Hyūga…"
The Hyūga clan was a fortress.
Konoha's control over them was weak.
Most clans had gradually integrated into the village.
Only Uchiha and Hyūga still retained the ability to detach themselves at will.
The Uchiha had been pushed out.
The Hyūga had isolated themselves voluntarily.
In Sarutobi's eyes, they were another thorn—
Not dangerous enough to purge, but far too independent.
In the past, his authority had been shaky.
He'd been forced to concede power.
Now?
He sat firmly on the Hokage's throne.
And he wanted that power back.
Hyūga Akira—
Was an opportunity.
A crack in an iron wall.
From the shadows, a figure stepped forward.
Shimura Danzō spoke coldly.
"Border tensions are rising. Other villages are restless."
"We need new strength."
"If we could create another God of Shinobi—"
Sarutobi adjusted his hat.
"Danzō. We will not disturb the First Hokage's rest."
"Konoha is strong enough."
His three students had matured.
Hatake Sakumo had emerged.
The clans were thriving.
And he himself was still here.
Even one-against-four—
The advantage was theirs.
"I do this for Konoha," Danzō said darkly.
"But I am the Hokage," Sarutobi replied.
"You'll regret this, Hiruzen."
Danzō turned and left, muttering.
As for Hyūga Akira?
Danzō didn't care.
He had designs on every clan—
Except the Hyūga.
That disgusting Caged Bird Seal shut down all interest.
The Hyūga clan?
Even dogs wouldn't take them.
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